Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) is leading the way in paediatric research, having received a number of research grants this year.
SCHHS Medical Director Paediatric Emergency Medicine Dr Michelle Davison who is involved in each study said the grants, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in total, were critical to the continual improvement of patient care.
“It is so important for clinicians to have the opportunity to both develop new processes, but also to test their safety and efficacy,” she said.
“Anything that can make a child’s presentation smoother and reduce both radiation and risk and get kids home sooner has to be a bonus.
“These trials will allow us, as frontline clinicians, to identify with evidence the best and safest way to do these things and guide future practice,” Dr Davison said.
The research grants include:
SONIC: A multi-site study that focuses on neck injuries in children and looks at the different ‘rules’ clinicians use to decide which kids receive imaging after an injury. It tests the use of a new tool designed specifically for kids’ neck injuries, to assess how well it picks up injuries and whether it’s use can reduce unnecessary radiation exposure for children. The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) funded the Sunshine Coast University Hospital portion of this study.
SWIFTKids: An evaluation of the unique SCHHS paediatric inter-facility transfer pathway for acutely unwell children who present to SCHHS’ many district emergency departments. The Children’s Health Foundation contributed a substantial grant to study the pathway and its components. The study will also include interviews with consumers and staff about their experience and the utility of the pathway.
PANURAMA: A further EMF grant will see the evaluation of the unique traffic light risk stratification, which guides clinicians about the level of consultation and discussion prior to transfer, and the need for a medical or nursing escort to add safety to inter-facility transfers. It’s hoped this study will validate and improve the tool and allow it to be rolled out safely state-wide.
BUCKLED: Bedside Ultrasound Conducted in Kids with distal upper Limb fractures in the Emergency Department, is another multi-centre trial across Queensland. BUCKLED tests the premise that children should be able to have an ultrasound rather than an x-ray when they present with a ‘buckle’ fracture which would both reduce time in hospital and radiation exposure. Both EMF and Wishlist grants have been awarded to this research and this trial is nearing its completion.
Dr Davison said: “Many of our Emergency Department staff, including novice researchers, research nurses and research assistants are taking part in the studies.
“We are looking forward to some great publications coming out of these studies and increasing research capacity in our workforce.”